Thief
by KrisEleven
Summary: Klept is used to being a good thief, but Kippernia is not a typical castle: their smith is unusually observant and there is a girl squire who just will not quit. Klept's bad day brings changes, but no one knew it would affect more than just the thief.
1. Meeting in the Market

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The village market attracted people from all of the farms and small fishing villages dotting the coastline because you could find anything there- from fresh produce to clothes to exotic merchandise brought in on the expensive ships to the harbour. Smithy smiled as he called Pig and they walked out of the castle, waving to Jane at the gates as they headed down through the crowds to the water front. Smithy would be alone in his visit this month. He had list running through his head from Pepper, who was too busy preparing for a special dinner the King had ordered to leave the kitchens today. Rake usually declined leaving the peace of his garden, especially when it did not mean spending more time with the cook. Smithy did not mind being alone a bit- the fresh air, the new sights and the crowds all created a feeling of joy in the young smith.

_And best of all_, he thought, i_t's a chance to learn new ways to do my smithing._ He dodged venders and travelers and children racing down the stone streets. He turned his head to watch a little game of sticks and toss, remembering a time when he had sat on the streets at home, playing just the same. Shaking his head at his nostalgia, he looked forward, seeing a flash of brown hair before someone ran right into him.

They stumbled together, and he reached out and grabbed onto thin arms to steady himself. He realized it was a girl, about his age, but a head shorter. The girl looked up at him and he noticed her messy brown hair, roughly chopped so that it fell about her shoulders and face in uneven strands. Her face was not the neatly scrubbed look of the village daughters and he assumed she must be from one of the farms close by, although he had never seen her before. The crowds were not so large that a new face could escape notice. She flashed him a smile. It was charming and cute and yet… Something he could almost catch onto distracted him. At his heels Pig snorted in a disgruntled kind of way.

"Sorry," the girl said. Smithy nodded, lost in thought and not letting her go. Her smile grew. "Are you going to let me go my way, Blacksmith?"

As if she were hot coals, Smithy released her arms. She let out a little giggle and brushed past him. His gaze followed her progress down the street. He looked forward and shook his head a little to clear his thoughts. He started walking again, in the opposite direction his mystery girl had been heading, when he froze again, frowning. His head tilted to the side as he tried to figure out what was wrong. He felt... unbalanced.

Pig snorted again and Smithy smiled, reaching for the pouch on his belt that held a little snack Pepper had made for his Pig.

His belt was not where it should have been.

He looked down to make sure. The leather loop that held it in place was hanging off his belt, but the pouch had been cut. He had lost not only the treats, but the wages he had wanted to spend at the market.

Remembering the collision, he spun, trying to find the pretty girl in the crowd. Seeing a flash of that unruly brown hair, he followed quickly. Time to catch a pickpocket.

-----

Kleptana moved fluidly through the crowd, tucking the smith's pouch into the folds of her brown tunic. She moved slowly, taking a few easy targets as she walked. She did not expect the boy to follow after her.

_What if he did? He was cute._

_And you stole his savings. Concentrate!_

She looked back anyway, not because she had developed any kind of instinct but because she knew, better than she knew anything, that to know what was around you was to survive. The Smith was trying to catch up to her. He knew.

Cursing, Klept dodged, ducking behind an arguing merchant and farmer's stand. His considerable bulk hid her thin frame as she moved around the stall, ducking between the stall and a building lining the road. Seeing no sign of the large smith, she moved back into the street, ducked into a defensive crouch.

After a count, she stood up, looking into the crowd cautiously.

"Having my pouch back would make me very happy right now." A low, steady voice said from behind her. Klept looked over her shoulder and up, into the blue eyes of the smith. He had a farmer boy's gentle speech and smile and the thick build of a worker and she had thought him dull-witted because of his appearance: she had been very wrong.

She flashed a smile. And ran, moving with the crowd. Her small size would help her- she could move around the crowd where he had to move through it. Blindly following the movement, she did not realize where she was going until the slight chill of a shadow made her look up. She ran through the gates of the castle, standing in a small courtyard. A moment of hesitation cost her the lead she had made in the run.

"Jane! Stop her. She is a thief!" A familiar, infuriating calm voice, called out over the noise of the crowd.

Klept shot the smith a glare. _Some people cannot be decent victims to a bit of theft-_

A skinny red-head moved toward her. Klept did not make the mistake of underestimating this girl. There was a look to the girl that showed she meant business. The light armour and well-used blade reinforced the opinion. She was behind Klept- somehow the thief had ran right past the girl who was standing at the gate, although how she had managed to miss her with that hair…

Klept ran, again, letting out a loud, sharp whistle as she moved towards higher ground.

-----

Smithy followed Jane as Jane ran after the thief. He wanted to see how this ended, even if their procession through the castle grounds looked like something from one of Jester's stories. He watched as the thief bolted up narrow stone stairs, running to the walltop where it was highest, overlooking the sea.

Another sharp whistle pierced the air, and Smithy winced. _Why is she doing that?_

Leaping up the stairs leading to the top of the wall, Smithy stopped on the top step, watching over Jane's head. The thief stood with her back to the wall, her face flushed pink, her hair in greater disorder. Her thin chest rose and fell with each gasping breath, and Smithy knew she could not run anymore. This was where it got chancy. Any animal he dealt with was more dangerous when they were out of options, and humans were not different when it came to that. Jane stepped forward, her sword clenched in both hands, held out in the air between them.

"Acting under the law of the realm, I will take you for justice before our King." Jane said, firmly, taking another slow step. The thief turned her head sharply, looking over the wall, into the sky.

All thoughts were suddenly lost from Smithy's mind and his stomach dropped with a jolt as she jumped up on the wall, her heels inches away from empty space.

"Please. Come here," Jane asked, desperation in her voice. She dropped her sword to her side, holding out her empty hand towards the stranger. The thief turned, her eyes meeting Smithy's. She shrugged, a sad half-smile on her face.

Then she turned, flinging herself off into the air. As if in slow motion, Jane reached the wall as the girl went over the edge, reaching out to grab her, just missing her tunic by a moment. Smithy yelled out, shocked by the sudden, certain death of the girl, right in front of his eyes.

-----

The wind whistled over Klept, blowing her hair back and pulling on her clothes. The force of it stung her eyes as she moved too quickly towards the earth.

_I am falling. Where are you?_ She had time to think, closing her eyes tightly, as if that would stop her deadly landing.

-----

Jane watched, hanging half over the wall, her red hair in her face. Her green eyes were wide, transfixed with horror, as the thief plummeted towards the earth. Suddenly, there was a red flash in the corner of her vision. Jane's eyes left the thief's falling form for a second, and she gasped out loud at the sight before her. Wings outstretched, claws extended, a dragon dove towards the small figure. The sun glinted off its red scales.

_Red scales?_

_A dragon. There was a _red_ dragon._

Pulling up from its spectacular dive, the dragon got under the thief. The girl hit the dragon's neck, her stretched out arms linking around its throat. The dragon beat its wings, flying low over the village and over the water, moving quickly out of sight.

_A dragon. There was another dragon in Kippernia._

-----

Then Klept felt her fall suddenly _stop_. Ridges pounded into her stomach, and her arms, outstretched, both to slow her fall and prepare her for impact, snapped around the neck of her dragon. She held on, still gasping for breath when they turned, moving forward through the air and away. Klept opened her eyes, seeing water beneath them, before she squeezed them shut again, and concentrated on holding on. She was hanging over the side of his neck, the muscles in her arms keeping her from falling into the sea beneath them.

"Hanging on there, Little Thief?" the voice whistled back threw the air, thinned by their speed, swept away with the wind.

"Fine. Just fly, dragon." She was not even sure he heard her. She concentrated on holding on. It would just be embarrassing to fall and die _now_.

-----

Plants swayed as the red dragon slowly lowered himself between the trees, letting Klept's feet hit the ground softly. Klept groaned, releasing her stiff arms from their hold on the dragon's neck. She collapsed onto the dirt. The earth was cool, sheltered by the thick branches that sheltered the ground from the sun. Klept lay curled on her side, her face buried in the dirt. She closed her eyes, feeling the throbbing in her arms fade. The pouches she had taken before the chase- one from the smith, two from farmer's stalls and one from the unsuspecting merchant she had hidden behind- dug into her ribcage, but she did not bother moving to ease it. A reminder of a day well spent.

Even if her arms did feel like undercooked bread.

"Did that go well?" The dragon asked, his voice inches from Klept's ear. She raised her head tiredly, looking right into the nostril of the dragon. _Not an image I needed, thanks. _She thought, pulling her face away. He was stretched out like a dog, his chin resting on his folded hands. _Not that he would enjoy the comparison, _Klept thought, amused.

"I assume the smile means a 'Yes', unless this is a weird No-Winger joke. Or you are going crazy." He peered at her, his pink and red-flecked eyes concerned. "Are you going crazy? I think that can happen to your sort, very delicate you all are. Is there-"

"Shhh. I am not crazy."

"You _would_ say that."

Klept looked him in the eye, raising one eyebrow. He settled his head back onto his forearms, satisfied that his young companion was well enough, for a human.

The sun was setting, already hidden from their position by the thick foliage. Klept built up the energy to roll closer to Dragon, who twisted so she was snuggled against his stomach, using the great heat of a dragon to keep her warm for the night. This was an old practice, between the two of them. With no homes to return to, they had gotten used to taking care of each other.

-----

Jane stood in front of a councel, her hands clasped behind her back, her head lowered. Her hair almost hid her shamed face.

As a very unwelcome addition to the proceedings, the Merchant had quickly burst in, demanding that justice be brought to the unknown thief that had stolen 'some very valuable and irreplaceable merchandise'. Jane had been forced to explain that they did indeed know who the thief was, but that she had gotten away from the squire on duty: Jane herself. The throne room was very quiet as the King took in the information that Jane and Smithy presented

"Well, Jane. I must say that I am disappointed. Very disappointed indeed," The King finally said, stroking his chin.

"Yes, Your Majesty." She said quietly, her head still bowed.

"I had hoped that you would take your obligations here seriously. We feel that any guard who lets a thief not only enter the Castle, but leave again, would be replaceable." Jane nodded her head, trying not to cry.

"But, Sir Theodore spoke up for you, Jane," the King said, more kindly. "He seems to think that you have it in you to repair the damage done to our kingdom."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Jane agreed, bowing low, and straightening, opening her mouth to announce the news of _how_ the thief escaped. She looked at the crowd gathered in the room and hesitated. News spread quickly through the castle. Those here would pass on the news of a dragon faster than she could bow to her King. Those not permitted in the room would hear the news by the day's end, and Dragon-

Jane's heart seized. Dragon would go after them. This was what he wanted, more than anything. He would not stay here, with Jane. And Jane could not leave the castle; she had responsibilities to the throne. She would never see him again.

And so, she shut her mouth. Bowing again, she spoke to the court. "I will do whatever is necessary. I swear."

"We certainly hope so!" The King replied, stepping off the throne and walking over to the girl. "Truth be told, I would be loathed to lose you as my squire." Jane bowed deeply again, holding the pose as the King, the Chamberlain and the complaining merchant left the room. She looked up meekly at the imposing height of her Knight-master. Sir Theodore looked down at her over his nose.

"I am sorry for disappointing you, Sir Theodore." Jane said quietly.

"Just make it right, Squire Jane." He said quietly, striding from the room. Jane covered her face with her hands. She had held information away from her King. But Dragon...

Jane straightened her shoulders, her face set. _She_ would make this right. If she caught the thief, all would be well. The other dragon would come _here_, and Jane would not lose her best friend. She could make all well, if she acted quickly. Jane ran out into the courtyard, heading towards her tower room, thanking fate that Dragon had not shown up at the castle today.

-----

Smithy waited in the stables, holding the reins of two readied horses. In his mind he was trying to compose an argument, his eyes glued to the door that he knew his stubborn friend would be walking through any moment. He needed to be ready if he wanted her to take him along.

_Jane, I know you are a knight, but I should come with you. You might get hurt, out there by yourself- _

_No. She will not appreciate getting taken care of._

_Jane, I am going to come along. The horses are skittish around dragons, so you will need some extra help handling two-_

_She would not, if two horses were not going._

_Jane, I met a thief today. She stole my savings, but I am not mad at her. She can keep them. So, even though I do not know why, I am coming with you to catch a girl that I do not really want caught and thrown in the dungeon. I have no idea what I will do, but you should bring me with you._

_Truth is the best policy? _Smithy thought, dejectedly. I _would not let me come along, with that explanation. Jane never will. _

-----

Jane marched down the stairs, her armour heavy on her chest, a helmet in the crook of her arm. At her waist hung an engraved sword, runes on the hilt. She walked from the sunny courtyard into the dark stables, blinking a moment to regain her vision.

"Smithy!" she called out, her eyes adjusting to the dark, "I need a horse saddled and-" Jane stopped, taking in the two horses and her blonde friend. She set her fists on her hips. "Smithy, why are there two horses?"

"Well, you see, I thought-. Well, I am-" He faltered, not knowing what to say to the fierce look on his friend's face.

"I do not have any time, Smithy," Jane said, looking out the open door, her eyes to the sky. "I have to leave. Alone. Now, let me have Cleaver." She stepped forward, holding her hands out for the reins, but her eyes were not on Smithy or the horse. She was watching the sky above the castle.

Smithy stepped back, the horses going with him. "Why are you not going with Dragon?" He asked, already figuring it out.

"Dragon is busy-" Jane said, looking at the ground.

"Jane, you know that is not true. You do not want him to know, because..."

"Smithy!"

"You did not tell the King." Smithy went on in a hurry, watching as his friend's face fell. "You hid the news. Why?"

"He will leave, Smithy." Jane confessed, her voice clogged up. "He is my best friend."

There was silence, except the shuffling of the horses and the grunts of Pig, asleep in his stall. "I will go, myself. I will bring back the thief and the dragon, and no one will need to leave. Everything will be alright." Jane said, trying to convince herself as much as Smithy.

"If I come," he replied slowly. "I can help grab the thief, while you deal with the dragon. It probably will not be pleased."

Jane pursed her lips, torn between accepting help on her mission and getting the thief and dragon back to the castle as quickly as possible. Her gaze went to the empty sky, which was quickly lightening as the sun rose over the horizon. Soon there might be a familiar shape in the sky, coming to the castle and blocking her quick exit. After that, the sky might be empty forever.

"Then let us go, Smithy."

-----

The red dragon moved away from the sleeping human, walking a few feet away before throwing his wings out and jumping into the air. Flying in the crisp air of dawn energized him. He let out a billow of flame, breathing deeply as he flew. Suddenly he stopped, midair, just his wings flapping to keep him airbourne. He took a deep breath, trying to catch a scent he knew he couldn't have caught in the air here.

_In the air _anywhere, he told himself. _There are no more dragons, Torrid. You are alone_. His gaze settled on the trees beneath him, where he knew there was a sleeping human, as alone in this world as he was. He started to fly towards the ground, getting back before she woke up. If he had learned anything in his centuries of life, it was that the family you chose, the family you made was the one you had to hold onto the hardest.

Especially when the world took the rest away.

--------------------


	2. Catch a Thief

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Jane and Smithy rode from the stable into the courtyard, heading towards the front gate with just the sounds of their horses' hooves, muffled in the dirt, and their breathing.

"Where are you going, Jane?" A voice called out, clear in the early morning air. Jane pulled up on the reins, causing the horse to flick its head, irritated with the jerking caused by a startled knight. She turned in the saddle, looking up at Dragon, perched at the top of the wall and peering down at her. Jane cringed. She had wanted to get away before he came for the day.

"We-We have to find a thief, that was in here last night." Jane said, her voice falsely cheerful as she played with the edges of her tunic.

"Well, come on." Dragon said, jumping off the wall, and landing hard in the center of the clearing, causing a cloud of dust to rise in the air. "Leave the smith and jump on, we will look together."

"No!" Jane protested, holding her hands out in front of her. "We cannot!"

"Why not?" Dragon asked, his eyes narrowing as he examined the guilty looking pair.

"Because..." Jane trailed off, trying to think of a lie.

"She is in the trees," Smithy supplied quickly. "On foot. You would never see her from the air."

"Is that true, Jane?" Dragon asked, leaning in close. Jane's face was miserable, her head lowered.

"Yes." She whispered, not looking anywhere near him.

"Fine." Dragon leaped into the air, leaving the two humans coughing in a cloud of dust. When the air cleared, Dragon was too far away to be spotted, although Jane scanned the sky for a long moment, telling herself that it was for the best.

_For whom?_ She wondered.

-----

Klept was sitting in the middle of the clearing, where a ray of sunlight was warming her back. She had her little boot knife out and was whittling a piece of maple absentmindedly. Every once in a while she would look across the clearing, where a large red rump and tail waggled as the dragon grazed on the berries hidden in that part of the thicket.

Smiling a little, Klept tried to concentrate on her newest creation, working on it as if she would not be leaving it behind by the end of the day. She had few possessions, as she and dragon had to carry everything she owned. Making a quick escape on dragon-back could hardly be done while he was weighed down with her things. Across the Kingdoms and beyond, she knew, there were her small carvings left behind when they moved on. Her way of making a mark on the world, she thought when she was in a romantic mood. Or, as she thought when she was having a bad day, a way to pass the time while Dung-Breath stuffed his face.

Her brown hair fell over her eyes, and she tucked it behind her ears impatiently, instead of cutting it away, as she would have done not so long ago. Klept had found a new way to get targets, and it required her being disarming. No one expected the sweet little girl to steal their purses, and Klept played on that. Looking like she had just wandered in out of the wilds (even when she had done just that) was not the way to gain the trust of anyone.

At this moment, though, there were twigs and leaves stuck in her tangled hair, which formed a messy halo around her face. One cheek and part of her forehead was dirty and marked with the imprints of the ground, caused by a night of her face pressed onto the hard earth.

Even so, she was deceptively frail looking. Not many ever noticed the strength she had in her eyes, the scars on her hands, or the firm set of her slightly crooked mouth. If they had, they would not be fooled into thinking she was helpless. Torrid had seen it. She thought that the Smith might have, too.

"Are we staying here a while, to prey on these humans? They seemed rather unreasonable. Chasing you up a wall for taking a few measly coins. How about we-" Klept looked up as the deep voice cut off abruptly.

"Indigestion? I told you not to eat so much. Now we have to stay on the ground, rather that give these farmers some free fertil-" She grew serious when she noticed the look on his face, part anger, part concentration, and part something she had never seen on him before. Fear. "What is it?"

"Where did you see that?" he asked, staring at the carving, almost finished, that lay on her lap.

"The castle, yesterday."

"We have to leave. Now."

"What? Why? I was going to walk through the village again. You know I spent half of the fortnight scoping out that house to rob. We cannot leave now."

"Klept, that is a dragon slayer you saw. If they catch up to us, I will not be around to pick you up afterwards."

The thief looked down at her creation, cursing the twist of fate that had landed them there. The exact miniature of Jane's sword was thrown into the thicket as Klept thought about all her hard work, wasted again.

-----

Jane and Smithy rode through the village and down, into the forest in a tense silence. Jane was replaying the conversation with Dragon again and again in her mind, seeing his disappointment and hearing her lies.

_How could I do that?_

_He cannot leave! If he knew- If I had told him, he would go after the other dragon. I cannot let him do that. I cannot never see him again. He is my best friend!_

_Exactly_, she realized. _He is my best friend. I should want him to be happy._

"Jane?" Smithy asked, looking back over his shoulder at her. She had pulled up on her horse, stopping dead in the middle of the road, staring at nothing. She looked up at Smithy, her face sad, but set.

"We have to go to the mountain."

---------

She had one hand on the dragon's back ridges and was getting ready to jump on his back when Klept rebelled. She had worked too hard to throw it all away again.

She stepped back from Dragon, standing in the clearing with her arms crossed. Confused by the loss of weight, Torrid looked over at the little thief and rolled his eyes. He knew _that_ look. There was no way to budge her now.

Instead of arguing, he just sighed, a gust of smoke escaping his nostrils with his annoyance. "I will stay to protect you," he said, reminding himself, as he always did when he had to give in to her, that humans had to be expected to be annoying.

"That will surely work." She replied, sarcasm dripping from her words. "You just wait outside the house while I go in and steal from them. No one will notice a gigantic red dragon sitting his big behind in the road." Torrid just looked at her, unimpressed by her sarcasm, or the glare she was sending back. "Go to the mountain," she continued. "Meet me there. You will see me once I get above the trees, if you fly around every once in a while. And there is no way I can loose a mountain." Torrid snorted. He did not put it past her: Klept was notorious at getting lost. "Then we will take off, sell the junk far away, get some food, some clothes, and be on our way. Perfect plan, again, thanks to Kleptana!" She stood in the middle of the clearing, arms outstretched, dirt on her face and leaves in her hair.

"Well, oh perfect one, stay off the south side of that mountain. Salt air weakens rocks like that."

"Fine." She replied distracted, searching through her little belt-pouch for her comb.

"That means if you can see the water, you are on the wrong side."

"North side it is, then. Go, so I can get moving, Red Rump."

"There should be some caves in the north side. I will find one and keep an eye out for you."

"Go!" Klept said, pulling the comb through her tangled hair, walking paces as she jerked through her tangles.

"Be caref-"

"Torrid!"

The dragon just laughed, and launched himself in the air, heading towards the mountain. But still, he worried...

---------

"We have to go to the mountain," Jane said. "I have to make this right with Dragon." She flicked the reins, but as soon as the horse moved forward, she pulled back again, forcing the horse to stop. "The thief. The King."

"Jane?" Smithy asked, thoroughly confused by his friend.

"I have a duty to our King, Smithy. We will catch this thief, and then I will get to Dragon and tell him the truth." Still, she looked at the mountain, clearly longing to get to her friend. All Smithy knew was that his friendship with Jane was stronger than any fascination with a lonely-looking thief. If Jane needed him to catch a thief, Smithy would catch a thief. Even if he hated the thought of anything in a cage.

"Come on." Jane flicked her horse again, and they set off into the trees.

-----

Klept knew to just follow the waterline until she reached the road, than follow the road towards the mountain. That would lead her to the castle. Simple, easy and Klept-proof. She also knew that any carrot haired knight-girl on a horse would be following the road to look for signs of her. Klept's fear of getting lost was greater than her fear of getting caught, only because she had never gotten caught before. She thought herself untouchable.

Klept walked along the road, heading towards the castle's village with theft on her mind.

-----

Jane soon acknowledged what she had known from the beginning of this mission. The King and Sir Theodore had not realized she was going after a thief on a dragon, because she had not told them. Tracking a dragon was next to impossible because, well, they do not leave any _tracks_.

_Unless I stumble on them by chance_, Jane thought dejectedly, _I will have to return to the castle and explain my failure._

But Jane and Smithy kept riding. Jane was not the kind to give up on her duty. And Smithy was not the kind to leave his friend alone.

"Jane," Smithy whispered, grabbing onto Cleaver's rein and gently stopping both horses. Jane came out of her thought, spotting a small figure in the distance. The thief was traveling along the road alone.

They got out of sight as Jane whispered the plan.

-----

The sun was shining in golden strips on the dirt road, creating a jungle-cat pattern under Klept's feet. On either side, pine trees were filled with chirping birds and chattering squirrels that leapt from tree to tree, their tails trailing behind them. The light breeze that twisted through the woods cooled down the day and carried a scent of pine. This was what Klept loved best. Even though it got awful lonely, in the silence of the forest.

Klept noticed something that caught her attention, a disturbance in the loose dirt of the road. Half a horseshoe print was clear on the road; the other part looked as if it had been swept away. It looked as if it had been hidden.

In a split second Klept noticed the sweeping marks leading to the side of the road, where thick foliage could hide an attacker. A thief is not known for her ability to fight.

Instead, she turned and ran.

-----

Jane was crouched in the foliage, keeping absolutely silent as she watched the thief wander level to where she was hiding. She saw the thief stop, her eyes on the road.

Suddenly, the thief bolted back the way she came, her slippered feet slapping the ground. Jane jumped up and followed her, keeping her in sight, but not getting close enough to force her off the road.

All according to plan.

-----

Klept dared a glance back, seeing the carrot-head not too far behind her. She picked up the pace, trying to think as she began to loose her breathing rhythm and started to gasp for air. She had trained to sneak quietly, move quickly, and climb buildings which left her knowing fully that she did not have the endurance of a knight-in-training. Klept remembered the turn in the road and the small clearing of flat land that surrounded it: a camping ground for travelers with no coin for an inn. She planned to get into the clearing and dart into the trees while she was out of the knight-girl's sight. While the knight had the endurance, Klept had the speed and could definitely outrun her when they both had obstacles to get around. Speeding up, Klept shot another glance over her shoulder at the girl who was closing the gap.

Not close enough, Klept thought, turning her gaze to the front just in time to see who she was going to run into. That dratted smith!

She tried to turn out of his way, but she was going too fast and slipped on the loose dirt, dropping onto her rear at his feet. She almost scrambled up, but he knelt down beside her, blocking her escape. Klept looked up into his face, a little smile was on his lips, endearing and mocking.

The red-head caught up, grinning at the blonde thug who tried to help Klept to her feet. She pulled her arm away. She did not need _his_ help getting caught. She had already done that.

"Caught us a thief, Smithy?" The knight grinned, not even out of breath.

Klept promised herself that she would hit that arrogant _noble_ the first chance she got.

-----

She rode back on Smithy's horse. Not that Smithy minded. He felt bad to be the one to have caught her, and the least he could do was to offer her a horse. She did not seem to appreciate the offer.

_"I am fine walking," the thief had said as Jane tried to get her near the horse. "I will meet you there."_

_"Ha ha. I am falling for that one," Jane had replied dryly. "Get up."_

It had taken quarter of an hour to get her on the horse, and another half to stop her from slipping off. Both Jane and Smithy had silently agreed not to use the rope Sir Ivan had given them. Bringing a thief back for justice was one thing. Dragging her back like a rogue sheep was something else, and it gave Smithy a bad taste in his mouth.

They made their way up the slope that led to the castle, perched above the village like a guard dog. Passing Gunther on sentry duty, Smithy ignored the sarcastic comments the squire shot at Jane, although her face was red as she threw back a cutting reply of her own. Smithy's eyes were on the thief. The girl was throwing glares at Jane that would boil water and although his friend seemed unaware of it Smithy braced himself for trouble.

They tried to pull the thief off the horse, which she seemed to have grown fond of. While before she refused to go anywhere near a horse, she now refused to get off. Smithy did not want to hurt her if he pulled on her, and Jane could not build enough strength to get the seated girl's grip to loosen. After twenty minutes Jane was reduced to shouting curses, and Gunther had sauntered over to watch his rival struggle.

"If you grab the guttersnipe by the leg, Jane," Gunther advised. "You will probably be able to slide her off. Well, if you had any strength, you would," he added as if it was an afterthought. "I forgot that you were a _girl_."

"Thank you for the support, noble Gunther," Jane threw back, sarcastically. She was stretched to her breaking point. "Just like you to offer a helping hand!" In her frustration, she pulled on the thief harder that she meant to. The sudden weight shift startled the horse. Bucking, it threw the inexperienced rider onto the stone, where she landed with a loud thump. Jane immediately went to help her, opening her mouth to apologize. Klept was on her feet before Jane had finished her step. She punched the girl knight square in the mouth.

Smithy stepped forward, but Gunther was there first, grabbing the thief and pulling her away from his fellow squire. He was allowed to hit Jane. She was off limits to everybody else.

Jane stood up, her hand on her jaw. It was a quick, unbalanced hit and it had not done any damage, but Jane was angry. "Let her go, Gunther. Nothing better can be expected from a thief, with no manners, no skills and no honour."

"You might be able to afford honour here, _noble_," Klept turned this word into an insult. "In the real world, it gets you killed. I have no honour, pride or other foolishness passed off on you in all your spare time, because I would have starved with it. So take your honour and stuff it-"

"This is all very interesting, Squire," a cool voice said from the balcony above them. "But, Jane. I believe your assignment was to catch the thief, not argue with her. And Gunther. Sentry duty awaits."

"Yes, Sir Theodore," they chimed. Gunther hurried through the stables, back to the main gate, and Jane let Smithy take hold of the thief, taking her into the stables where Sir Ivan was waiting with the dungeon key.

"Oh, and Jane?" Sir Theodore called out, softly. His squire stopped following her prisoner and looked up at his impassive face. "A true knight gives everyone the chance they deserve. No one is less a person because of what they have been made to become." With that enigmatic statement, Sir Theodore disappeared into the barracks, leaving a confused student standing in the courtyard. Her musings were interrupted by Sir Ivan scolding the thief as he dragged her towards the keep.

"It is dungeon time for you, lass."

Jane had thought she would feel empathy for anyone forced into the underground prison, but her throbbing jaw made her reconsider. Some people just deserved to be locked up, and a thief- the low of the low- was one of them.

-----

Cleaver was watered and brushed down and resaddled, waiting for Jane when she returned from her report to the King. Something about the whole situation was tying knots in her stomach, but she brushed it aside.

_There are more important things to worry about._ She flew out of the main gate, pushing the horse into a run as she moved towards the mountain. _I have to get to Dragon._

-----

Klept stood just inside the barred doorway, the stone cold even through her leather slippers. She hugged her waist, looking at the walls that held her inside. She had not been inside a room she was not stealing from in seven years. The year her mother died and she was thrown out of her apartment. The year she had stolen something to stay alive, and had found out she had a knack for it.

_Let that noble brat judge me_, she thought bitterly. _She does not know what it takes to live out there alone. She does not know anything about me._

If a tiny voice in the back of Klept's mind told her that _she_ knew nothing about the squire, either, she ignored it. Instead, she sank to the cold ground, looking around the dank room that had become her new residence. She kept her breathing normal from sheer willpower because being locked in a room she could not leave was terrifying.

-----

Dragon stretched, looking out over the valley. He had come back to his cave after the disturbing scene that morning with Jane, but he was ready to find out the truth. Something was obviously bothering his short-life friend. If he could not help her with it, the least he could do was help her forget about it. That was what friends did.

He took off, his eyes on the castle, the tiny grey building far below him, which was home to the best friend he had. He did not realize that, far below him, Jane was riding in the trees, on her way to the cave to tell him the truth.

Neither did he realize that just minutes away, hidden by an outcropping of rock, Torrid sat on a small cliff, his eyes glued to the mountain base, waiting for his little thief to start he climb. Any minute now…

--------------------


	3. You Lied

---------------------

The wind whistled along his scales, flashing bright green as he plummeted towards the castle, wings folded back against his long body. Arching over the sun-bright practice yard, Dragon folded his legs up to his body, brushing over the wall top, the stone scraping against his tough underbelly. Dragon threw his legs out, landing with perfect grace alongside the keep, in the Royal gardens. Not a twig on the shrubberies was ruffled. He looked around, his ears perked. The garden was empty, not a soul was there to see him.

"Typical," he muttered. "A perfect landing, and who was there to see it? You?" He directed at a bee, who was wisely ignoring the put-out dragon and continuing on its way. "Never liked bees much anyway. Pollen. Yuk!" Dragon looked down when he heard a muffled gasp that seemed to come from under his tail. Turning his entire body in circles, with his tail lifted in the air, it was a moment before he saw the small window, and the face staring out of it.

"What are you doing?" he asked, peering at the stranger. He was pretty sure he had not seen this one before, although they all looked alike to him after a while... except Floppyhat. Who else wore a hat like that?

"There is no way this is happening." The human muttered, her eyes wide.

"I know," Dragon replied, leaning back on his haunches and examining his claws. "Shortlives say this all the time, seeing my glory. It is just-"

"There are no others. The dragon told me there were no others..." The human continued, ignoring Dragon completely. She, however, had _his_ full attention.

"What?" he asked, completely confused. "When did I say that?"

"Not you," she replied. He leaned his head closer to the bars, the better to see through the dark window. The girl's face, dirt-streaked and confused jumped out at him. She did not lean away from him, even though his eyes were narrowed and his nostrils were flared. She had bravery, this little thing.

"You lie." He growled.

"All the time," she shot back. "But I am not now. Ask the red-head. That pesky knight-girl. _She_ saw him. She knows."

Dragon growled again, smoke blowing into the girl's face, making her lean back from the bars. She coughed as Dragon's words echoed into her cell, bouncing off the hard stone that penned her in.

"You are lying. Jane does not know there is another dragon. If she knew, _I_ would know. That is how the best friend thing works."

"You would think." She replied sarcastically, her voice rough. "Best friends do not lie. They do not leave you to rot in a dungeon. They are supposed to be there for you, right?" Dragon wasn't sure where the rotting thing came from, but considering her position, he figured she would know. He nodded. "That is not how it works," she continued. "In the real world, best friends leave and they lie. Get used to it. You have been suckered by the fire-squire out there."

"Not Jane." Dragon insisted, in defense of his best friend. But there was doubt there, too.

"Ask her. Go and ask her, see if she lies to your face. If she does, you can come back and roast me. Go!" She yelled when Dragon hesitated. He gave her a last glare and jumped into the air, a few clumsy wing beats taking him out of the castle and over the walls.

Klept sank down on her bed, tears streaking through the dirt on her face. "Go. I bet she lied. Just like _he_ lied. Some best friend. Some _only_ friend..."

-----

Jane jumped off the horse, stumbling on the rough stone as she ran into the cave, calling out. Her echoes answered her, but no Dragon. He was not here. She looked around the dim cave in disbelief. She had tried so hard to get up here before he left. How could no one be here?

"DRAGON!?" She yelled out again.

"GONE...Gone...gone...on..." The cave replied. There was no one here.

She heard Cleaver's frightened whinny, and spun around towards the cave entrance. Her heart filled when she recognized the dragon's shape in the entrance way, even though all she could see was the black outline of his profile against the bright light outside. She rushed over to her friend, halting a few feet away when her eyes adjusted and she saw the look on his face.

"What?" She asked, stupidly. _Tell him!_ She screamed at herself. But she knew there was no need. Somehow, he already knew.

"How could you?" He asked her, the anger and the hurt evident in his voice. Jane's heart squeezed and her stomach dropped. She knew how she could. To keep her best friend, she could do anything. But, her throat was drying up and the words were not coming out.

"Dragon- I-" She stuttered, overpowered by his voice, magnified into deafening volume by the cave's unforgiving walls.

"How could you?! You knew!" Dragon walked towards her, smoke billowing from his mouth at every angry word. Jane stumbled back from her friend. He scared her. "You know that this is all that I wanted, what I have been looking for for three hundred years! And you- you- you just told me to go!" He roared. Jane stumbled back again, her foot catching on an uneven edge. She fell backwards, stinging her palms as she braced her fall.

"You lied to me." He whispered. He leaned back on his hind legs, and Jane covered her face with her arms, sure for a split second that she was going to be charred into oblivion by the angry dragon that was her best friend. Instead there was a clatter of claws on stone and beats of leather-like wings on the air.

Jane was up before she fully realized what was happening. Dragon flew out of the cave mouth, into the open air, his wings taking him further from the palace with every beat. "Dragon," she whispered, watching the blue sky swallow up his retreating form. She bolted after him, running out into the mocking sunlight that stung her eyes. Unable to fly, Jane stood on the edge of the cliff, yelling out over empty space. "Dragon! Please come back! Dragon, come back!"

"Dragon, please," she cried, softly. Her arms wrapped around her middle, and she stared out over the valley, the sky stubbornly empty. "Please don't leave me."

-----

Torrid tilted his head, listening for what had woken him from his nap. He looked up at the sky, one eye squinted as he found the sun's position. There was no way Klept would announce her return in such a way, so what infernal human was making such a racket?

Torrid through his wings out, catching a breeze that lifted him off the rock face, into the air. After a moment, he spotted her, a young human, with a head of red hair that made him proud. She was staring out over the sky, her eyes fixed on something that even Torrid could not see.

_Crazy human._ Torrid decided, ready to finish his nap, when something caught his eye. The sword, strapped to her belt. An exact replica was made, in a clearing just that morning. Three hundred years ago, swords like that had been used to kill his kind. This was the dragon-slayer Klept had seen? A human girl that was all skinny arms and legs, without an ounce of muscle on her?

And then Torrid remembered another human, that did not seem like much. A human girl that could climb the tallest wall and outrun the fastest guard. One that had stood up to an angry dragon when she had stumbled on his cave, running away from would-be slavers.

There would be no underestimating this blade-wielder. He tilted forward, ready to go into a dive that would bring his claws and his fire and his anger down on one that had taken his family away from him.

Then a scent on the wind and six human words halted his kill.

-----

Klept sat in the dungeon, hidden underground. Hearing a repetitive thump, like wings in the air, the thief scrambled to stand on the hard bunk that stood under the tiny window. Her hands were gripping the bars, her face turned so she could peer up at the sky. Her view was rudely blocked by a dark shape moving past the window. A wheelbarrow, pushed by sandaled feet, trundled past, its crooked wheel thumping with every rotation. Klept sat down hard, disappointed, and bit hard on her bottom lip.

She knew there was no reason for him to come for her. She had known that all along, but it did not make it hurt less as the hours trickled by...

Klept started singing softly to herself, a faintly remembered lullaby, and she tried not to notice when her voice wavered.

-----

Smithy was off-beat. He was trying to make new horseshoes for Sir Theodore's mount and a pile of weakened and misshapen scrap pieces thrown into the practice yard showed the limits of both his concentration and his temper.

Rake came through the stone arch that led from the Royal garden.

"Any sign of Jane?" He asked, leaning against his wheelbarrow of shrubbery clippings headed for the compost. Smithy put his hammer down, abandoning the attempt of another shoe. He shook his head, taking off his leather gloves and dropping them to the ground as the gardener's face fell at the news. Turning his wheelbarrow around, Rake went to his compost, and probably to the kitchens to tell Pepper the news.

Smithy called Pig from the wheel that fueled the bellows, sending the hog off to the stables. Without the sounds of his forge, the castle seemed suddenly quiet. Smithy closed his eyes for a moment, and opened them as he did hear a sound- faint and far off singing. Leaving Pig in the stables, Smithy followed the sound through the Royal garden, along the wall of the main keep.

"Hello moon, how bright you are,

Stars won't stay, too dim, too far.

Hello moon, tempting light,

Goodbye moon, no goodnight."

Smithy crouched down on the ground, looking through the bars at the head of the thief, singing softly to herself, all alone. He opened his mouth, thinking to offer her company or comfort, but remembered the look on Jane's face when she had lied to Dragon. None of this would have happened, if not for the thief.

Smithy crept away, leaving the girl singing the second verse of a lullaby alone.

-----

Jane walked down the mountain in a trance, stumbling on the loose rocks that she paid no attention to. When she made it to the bottom, entering the cool shelter of the forests, she found a calmed down Cleaver, grazing quietly on the tender shoots of a young tree. He had not made it very far before he got over his fright and decided to wait for his human rider to take him back to the stable. Jane was glad, in a detached way. She thought too much when she walked. She did not want to think.

The ride back to the castle was slow. Time blurred beyond all sense of propriety, seeming to stretch as Jane pushed against it, like an elastic band. She knew she had made mistakes before; she had lied, she had said stupid things and she had hurt her friends' feelings. This had a final note to it. She had no battles to fight, no enemy to face, no barrier to overcome. There was nothing she could do.

She rode into the shadow of the castle, shivering at the drop in temperature as the stone hid the sun from her view. The sky was empty.

She rode Cleaver into the stable, dismounting and unsaddling him with care._ It is not his fault that I am stupid_, Jane thought, brushing out his coat and shutting the door. _It is not anyone's fault but my own. Not even that weevil of a thief has a claim in_ that_. Just me._

As she walked under the balcony, a crisp voice called her name. She looked up, squinting at the outline of her Knight Master, outlined against the blue sky.

"A moment, if you please, Squire." Sir Theodore ordered, walking into the open doorway to the barracks. Jane walked under the balcony, entering the cluttered room, straight up the stairs to the second floor. Theodore was bent over his desk, holding open a parchment roll as he read it.

"Yes, Sir Theodore?" Jane asked, bowing to his back.

"Every knight has to possess certain virtues, Jane," the knight commented, his voice expressionless. Jane winced, knowing that honesty was one of these.

"One of these virtues is fairness: the ability to look at everyone with an equal eye. A knight must look past their feelings and defend everyone fairly, even if that means letting go of their hurt, or pride, or anger." Jane winced at his words. She had not been fair to Dragon when she had seen only her own pain at the thought of loosing him. But, how had Sir Theodore known? He let go of the parchments corners, and with a snap it rolled in on itself, back into a thin cylinder. Theodore turned around, searching his student's face. He must not have seen what he wanted to, because he frowned, and grabbed the parchment off of his desk. "This is for you to read, Jane," he ordered. "I trust you will give it due concentration."

"Of course, Sir Theodore." Jane took the parchment, bowing to the knight. She walked down the stairs, thinking of Dragon.

Sir Theodore frowned as he watched her leave, the parchment held in her hand absentmindedly. He hoped he had not given the job to the wrong person. A life hung in the balance, after all.

--------------------


	4. No Honour

--------------------

Jane made her way up to her tower room, closing the sturdy wood door behind her, locking herself safely in her sanctuary. The round stone room had been her safe place since she had been accepted as a squire. It offered her no comfort now. It reminded her of Dragon. Jane put the parchment and her sword on the mantle of the fireplace, and turned to go out the door. Before she walked out, she felt a twinge of guilt, and looked back at the parchment, lying unread. Sir Theodore had told her to read it.

_I cannot concentrate now_, Jane reasoned. She shut the door on the unread roll, walking back into the practice yard.

-----

Torrid stretched his wings further, catching more air as he chased after the scent on the wind. Hope and disbelief battled for the winning spot in his heart as he flew without seeing what it was he sought. After six hundred years, most of that time spent alone, having a hope that he might find another... If there was no other...

Torrid's keen eyes caught sight of the shape, hard to pick out of the sky, even with_ his_ eyes. As he drew closer, he became more and more sure. There _was_ another. He was not alone.

-----

Jane found Jester sitting on the swings outside the window of his rooms. They met there often, a place where they both felt comfortable and at home. His head was bent over a book, probably an old ballad or a tale he could entertain the court with on the long nights of winter that were drawing near. She watched him for a few moments, debating disturbing him. She had always hesitated in discussing her faults and mistakes with Jester. She did not want _him_ to look at her with disappointment.

"Enjoying the view?" Jester asked, waggling his eyebrows without taking his eyes from the page.

Jane giggled despite her misery. "How did you know I was here?"

"Your shadow." The fool answered, waving his expressive hand. Jane's shadow was darkening the ground at his feet, in his line of vision even when he was reading. "Well, My Lady? What can this humble servant help you with?" Jester jumped up to sink into an exaggerated bow. When he rose, the mask fell away and he examined his friend, concerned. "Jane, what happened?"

"Oh, Jester. I have done something awful."

---------

Klept was sitting on the bed, her knees drawn up to her chest defensively when the door opened. It startled her out of her memories, the times that stood out most sharply in her mind: songs and stories with her mother, cooking in their small kitchen, the day the landlord told her of the death and what 'rent money due' meant, her first cold night on the streets, learning something she was _good_ at, stumbling on the slaver's camp in the dark, finding Torrid, flying, his worry for her, jokes that the dragon did not understand, laughing about them anyway.

She realized that her life was mostly good memories. _Funny how everything seemed so horrible until I really looked back at it. Until I would give anything to have it that way again._ Instead she stood up with the knight and he escorted her from the cell, into a long dark corridor that she knew would lead to their King and her punishment.

-----

Jane sat on the swing beside her best human friend, her eyes glued to the ground after she had told Jester everything she had done. The silence seemed to stretch on forever, and Jane imagined his horror, and disillusionment, and disappointment-

"I do not think you did anything awful, Jane." He said, finally.

"What?" She gasped, looking up at him. "But I lied. How is that not awful?"

"Yes, you lied to him. And he has every right to be angry," Jester told her, his eyes firmly meeting hers with a seriousness he hardly ever showed to others. "But he loves you just as much as you love him. He will understand, and after he cools down he will come back. He will hold it over you, and you will have to apologize and tell him how great he is, but everything will be alright."

"I feel horrible." Jane whispered.

"That means you will not ever do this again, hopefully. You get into enough trouble without causing the same thing twice."

Jane laughed, relieved with Jester's response. They sat quietly for a few minutes, listening to the creak of the swings and the rustle as Jester turned the pages of his book. Jane leaned over and gave him a one-armed hug, which he returned by holding onto the wrist that wrapped around his shoulder.

"Thank you, Jester." Jane said, quietly, before she got up and returned to her rooms. There was a project from Sir Theodore that she had said she would deal with.

-----

Dragon landed in the clearing where Jane and he had had another fight, months ago. He had thought then, too, that there would be no more Jane in his life. The thought had broken his heart.

_This time she drove me away!_ Dragon thought angrily, swiping his claw on the ground. _This time it is her fault._

_How many times have I done something that she has forgiven me for? And I did not even give her a chance to explain what happened. I just heard a shortlife's story and saw a guilty look and took off?_

Dragon was about to continue his train of thought when a scent and a sudden wind caused him to look up, at a red shape that was landing in the clearing.

The red dragon would introduce himself to the stunned 'youth' as Torrid.

-----

Jane looked over the scroll, a small part of a history of the Kingdom during the rein of King Fairnor and his son. The library held a full collection of such documents, Jane's own father ensured that there was a history of some of their King's deeds already recorded and placed alongside these ancient documents. Jane started to read, trying to keep her eyes focused on the page as she grew bored quickly with the droning records. Jane kept herself from questioning Sir Theodore; he had always had good reasons for everything she did. She had read through a large section of the writing before she caught on to what she was reading. Quickly, she skipped back, rereading the offending paragraphs:

_In the time of His Majesty King Fairnor, stiff punishments for the crime of thievery were also used. The law stated that thieves were to be punished with work in the family or establishment they had stolen from. They became part of the household to atone for the losses they were responsible for. After a set time, the thief was given the choice of moving on, or staying as part of the household. This type of 'punishment' worked well for hundreds of years. The victims were given compensation and the thief was given a way out of the often entrapping life. Thefts usually dropped dramatically in the area where a thief became part of a household. Using a thief to catch a thief was extremely successful protection. _

_After a thief was successful in robbing King Fairnor's royal treasury, the harsh punishments were ordered. Amputations, whippings, exile and death were all used in order to punish thieves caught. At the time, as many as three dozen convicted thieves that had been pardoned through the lawful system were exiled or killed under His Majesty King Fairnor's orders._

_After King Fairnor's death, his heir, the new ruler, King Lazour was petitioned to again follow the old practice. However, the Kingdom was entering into a war with its neighbours, and King Lazour denied the petition, claiming that his knights were of better use leading the soldiers, rather than ensuring thieves were staying well behaved in their punishment households. The written law was ignored for the more time-effective use of force against the criminals. _

_The civil war lasted three years, only ending when King Lazour agreed to the... _

Jane jumped when the parchment snapped back into a roll. She had not meant to let it go. She fumbled, re-rolling it evenly so the old material would not wrinkle or be damaged. _If this means what I think it means_, Jane thought. _I have a duty as a knight to correct this._

_Can I do that? Can I do the right thing for a person I despise?_

-----

Klept stood in front of the throne, the huge red-headed knight standing beside her.

_In case I decide to lunge at their King_, Klept scoffed, trying to convince herself to not take it seriously. Even though she could loose her hand, or her life, if he so chose.

"Thievery harms all those involved," the King began. "While I do not agree with the punishments, I have no choice in the matter. The victim of your crimes," here the King gestured at the fat merchant, who was gloating in the space beside the throne._ Stupid swine_, Klept thought. She had enough sense not to say it aloud. Finally, she was learning caution. "The Merchant is calling for the strictest punishment available. What you stole lost him an apparently lucrative deal."

"A deal worth more than your life." The Merchant slid into the conversation. "Indeed," The King agreed, wrinkling his nose distastefully, although more at the merchant than the girl in front of him. "So, your life is forfeit, under our laws."

-----

"Jester," Jane gasped, out of breath, I need you to take me to the library."

"Interested in the old ballads...?" Jester drawled, watching his friend brace her hands on her knees, wiped out from the long run up and down the stairs.

"No. I need to see the histories. There is something I have to check."

-----

"And so, Kleptana," The King continued mournfully, "We shall sentence you to death, the highest punishment for theft under our laws-"

"Not quite, Your Majesty!" A female voice called out over the noise of the court. Klept twisted to watch the fire-squire bounce into the room, a parchment clutched in her hand. She walked past the thief, bowing in front of the throne.

_She has something _worse _than death? That maggot! What is she doing this for?_

Klept watched as the King listened to the girl speak, and the look of sudden relief on his face, and the outrage on the fat merchant's. At his gesture, the squire handed over her bundle. The King read it over and handed it to a thin, mousy little man who peered at it closely. _What is going on?_

"It is perfectly valid, Your Majesty!" the man pronounced, loud enough for the court, and Klept to hear.

"Perfect! Thief, it seems our young squire here has discovered that we have not been following the written rules of the kingdom. The traditions we have been adhering to have never been put into legal written word. So now, under the true law of our Kingdom, you have a choice. Two years of working here, under our conditions and laws, or exile from this place forever. Choose now."

Choose now? Easy. She did not need them. Or their charity, their work or their land. She was fine on her own. She had always been fine on her own.

And she remembered the realization she had, sitting alone in a dungeon. After the smith had come back, to talk at her through the bars.

_"I came before. I did not want to talk to you then, but I have something you should here from someone, and I guess that has to be me," he had said, in his infuriatingly calm voice. _

_"Do not sound so happy about it," Klept had muttered looking down at the stone floor, instead of at the speaker._

_"You told me you have no place for honour, that it would get you killed. Well, its not honour that is going to kill you. It is your pride."_

_"What?" She had gasped, looking up at his pale face._

_"You think you can do everything on your own-" _

_"I _can."_ She had insisted, but he kept talking, as if he could not hear her._

_"-but you cannot. Sometimes, you just need to let someone offer you some help. And you need to take it, thief. Because, in the real world, that kind of pride gets you killed." The smith said, mimicking her words from that afternoon, in the courtyard. He was gone before she could think up an answer._

And in the hours she sat alone, she had realized he was right. The worst events in her life had occurred because she was too proud- her, Klept, _proud_?- to admit that she could not do it alone.

Well, now. She could not do it alone.

She agreed to their terms.

---------------------


	5. And It Changes

--------------------

Dragon landed in the cave entrance, sliding along the stone with his legs outstretched, claws scratching the floor. He got out of the way, watching Torrid come in behind him and land gracefully on the spot without loosing speed. Torrid looked at the exasperated expression and fought a snort.

"I will teach you," he said casually, and then realized, for the millionth time that afternoon, that he had someone to_ teach_. The feeling was no less amazing than it had been hours before.

"I have been looking for another for years, centuries," Torrid said, his voice lowering as he walked into the cave behind the young dragon. He looked over the scratchings on the wall, messages in Dragon Runes.

"Me too," Dragon replied, stopping in the center of the cave and looking around at his home. "All I had were these runes, and I cannot even read them."

"Who left them?"

"We -I- think it was my father. But, I never knew him. I have never seen anyone else, until now."

Torrid winced, imagining the loneliness of his life. At least Torrid had had his memories of a time gone by.

"Can you read them?" Dragon asked, curious about finally solving the mystery that had plagued them -him- for so long.

Torrid lumbered over to the wall, walking along the length examining the carvings in the stone. "Most of them," he said, walking back along to stare at one of the markings, "This one here, though, this is your name."

"My what?" Dragon asked, moving over to the wall to stare at the marking with fascination.

"Your rune, your name." Torrid repeated, watching Dragon with a trace of amusement.

"My _name_," he said, reverently. "What does it say?"

"Runes are complicated. They put together different, simple, words and sounds to make a new word. Like this," Torrid scratched a curved line into the floor, "That is 'heat'," He scratched another two lines on top of the previous one. "And that is 'red'. And that rune is my name, Torrid."

"Torrid," Dragon whispered. "Your name." Torrid just smiled at the younger dragon's fixation on names. _If you had gone three hundred years without knowing you had one..._

"To find your name," Torrid explained, twisting to look at the old rune. "We will have to figure out what runes were combined and what that word is supposed to be."

"Jane will-" Dragon started out enthusiastically, before cutting himself off as his face dropped. Silence. Dragon examined his rune again as Torrid looked at him curiously.

"Who?"

"Just a shortlife liar, is all," Dragon said sadness masquerading as righteous anger. "My best friend, I thought. She did not tell me about you! She knew, and she did not say anything."

"She wanted to keep you." Torrid said, his mind on another human female, one he had completely forgotten about in the excitement. Was she already up on the mountain, waiting for him to get to her? Did she think he had abandoned her?

"Like a dog," Dragon said, insulted. "Or a pig, or a cow, or-"

"A friend?" Torrid interrupted. He remembered his own best friend, a girl he had met just six years ago, a second in his long lifetime, but already he felt an attachment to the willful girl that he had not expected when he protected her from the slavers. The girl had run into his cave, soaking wet and out of breath, only to find herself staring into the glowing face of a bored dragon. Torrid had had many encounters with humans over the years. They either tried to attack him, or they feared him, so he did not expect the skinny eight year old to take up a comical fighting stance.

_"You try to eat me," Klept had promised, "And I am gonna punch you on the nose!"_

Torrid had just laughed, sending her to the ground with her hands over her face. She was eight years old, after all, and she did not want to be eaten. But she showed a spark of courage that Torrid had stopped looking for. He had stayed with her after that, and even though she often insisted she could look after herself without him, Torrid knew she liked his company just as much.

"Yeah, like a friend," Dragon admitted, walking out of the cave to look over he valley. Torrid joined him in the open air, looking at the human castle, so small below them. "She ran all the way up here," Dragon said, his eyes on that castle, where he knew his friend was. "That counts for un-lying, right?"

Torrid tilted his head to the side, trying to process that logic. "In a crazy ground-walker-way, yes." He replied, making them both laugh. "You do not want to leave her." He said seriously into the silence a few moments later.

"This is my home," Dragon admitted. "She is my family."

-----

The room emptied quickly, the King and his chamberlain escaping just in front of the outraged merchant, who was demanding his justice be carried out. The spectators filtered out, too, until the squire and the thief were left standing in the throne room alone.

Questions fought for the right of coming to her lips, and instead rattled around her head, forcing Klept to keep silent. The squire picked up the parchment left beside the throne in the King's hurry to leave the room. She looked up at Klept as she fiddled with the papers that had saved Klept's life.

"Why?" Klept finally asked. _Why did you save me? Why did you _bother_?_

"It was the right thing to do." Jane answered, getting a snort from the thief. Jane rolled her eyes and walked from the room. _I can be proud of this, even though it was for an ungrateful, infuriating, annoy-_

"Thank you." Whispered from behind the squire, a soft, almost reluctant, but perfectly sincere phrase that changed nothing and everything.

"You are welcome." Jane replied, turning to look Klept in the eye. A knight and a thief.

"I still do not like you." The thief assured her. Jane just laughed and walked out into the evening air.

-----

"What will happen now?" Dragon asked, looking sadly at the companion he had known for so little time.

"I guess we say goodbye," Torrid replied, just as sad, but hopeful. "I know where you are. I will be back. There is someone I cannot leave, either, and she will not be able to stay here. She should be coming soon," Torrid said, looking down at the empty mountainside with a spark of worry. _Where is that infernal human?_

"The thief?" Dragon asked.

Torrid's gaze snapped to Dragon. "How did you know?"

There was a bit of a silence, while Dragon thought of a good way to tell him. "Right," he said finally. "About that...."

-----

Outside, a tall dark shape walked with her into the gardens, matching his long stride to the smaller one of his squire.

"Very good work, Jane." Sir Theodore assured the girl. He looked down at his most promising squire and waited for the question he was sure she would ask.

"I do not understand," Jane admitted, watching the ground instead of her knight-master's face. "She goes against every code we have. She steals and she lies and… I just do not understand why we would protect her."

"Yes, you do, Jane." She looked up at him, startled. "You said it yourself. You helped her because it was the right thing to do. The law was being enacted unjustly, and the true laws are what the knight must uphold. No matter who it pertains to." He looked out over the dark grounds. "And I do not believe she is as bad as you fear, Squire. Everyone can change, if they are taught right from wrong and given an example to follow." He said, with a slight smile forming on his lips.

"But, Sir Theodore, why did you give the parchment to me? If you knew that the law was not being followed, why did you not make it right?"

"Squire," he replied kindly. "I once promised that I would keep testing you, and testing you, because only then could I be sure you _will_ become the great knight that I am sure you _can_ become. To be able to do what is right, even if that means doing a good turn for a person you dislike, or someone you do not believe deserves it, that is a virtue that many knights lack. You have managed to show a true knight's virtue, and I am very proud of you." Sir Theodore clapped a hand on Jane's shoulder, and she bowed, blushing. He disappeared into the night, leaving Jane alone with her thoughts.

Alone. It pressed on her, like the sky was a weight on her chest. Deciding some vigorous activity would at least make her able to fall asleep, Jane strode towards the practice yard.

-----

The dragons made quick time to get to the castle, flying through the sunset glows, towards the red-lit castle walls. Dragon had talked him out of any rash moves that might hurt the castle dwellers, but Torrid was still burning with anger. How had he not noticed the time go by? What must Klept have been thinking, when he did not come for her? He came into sight of the castle, and finally spotted her, sitting in the open air, smiling at the sky. He looked over at Dragon, whose eyes were focused on another part of the castle, and another tiny figure. Maybe it would all turn out alright, after all.

-----

Klept sat outside, the sky darkening to a deep blue as the horizon lit up in the fiery display of sunset. It would be night soon, and she would spend it inside stone walls, as part of a household. The chamberlain had promised a room would be prepared, if she would wait in the throne room. Instead, Klept sat on the steps outside, looking out over the Royal gardens and thinking of her new life. She heard soft footsteps of leather on stone and looked behind her, smiling at the tall figure that stood there.

"You were right," she conceded, a major feat for her, which Smithy recognized.

He replied with a half-shrug and a smile.

"How did you know?" She pressed him. A comfortable silence stretched between them as he thought of her question and his answer.

He shrugged. "Everyone needs friends… A family. Even thieves." He chuckled softly, making her smile. Sunset was only a memory, and a faint pink along the horizon, the sky darkening to black. Smithy looked up and grinned, his eyes fixed above Klept's head. Klept turned, following his gaze and gasped, running out into the open as a red shape made a landing in the Royal gardens.

-----

Jane was sparring with the practice dummy, missing more than she hit as she struggled to see in the darkness. Her blows were harder than usual as she tried not to think.

_Green wings, taking their owner away into the clear blue sky. Watching her best friend fly away angry, while she was stuck crying on solid ground._

Jane hit the dummy savagely and was knocked into the dirt as it spun around and caught her on the back. She pounded the ground with her fist, tempted to just lie there, stretched out until morning.

"Gunther probably would not notice me here and I would get stepped on." She muttered angrily into the dirt.

"On, no. He would notice you," a familiar voice said. Jane's head snapped up, her eyes finding the form draped along the wall top. She gasped and scrambled awkwardly to her feet. "Not to say you would not get stepped on, of course, I mean it is _Gunther_ we are talking about here, but he would notice you." Jane just stared up at him lost for words. "Want to go for a ride, Shortlife?"

She managed to nod. Dragon leaped off the wall, landing beside her. Instead of climbing onto his back, she threw her arms around his neck, squeezing him into a fierce hug.

"I know, I know, you are happy to see me! Get on, let's go! Shortlives and their mushy-" His wings snapped out and he threw them into the air, and they were away, and Jane thought of nothing but _flight_.

-----

Kleptana ran, throwing herself on the dragon's snout, hugging him.

With a cough, she backed up, wiping her face on her ragged sleeve. "I was just-" She explained, embarrassed. "I thought you forgot about me, is all. It is nice that you did not."

Torrid nudged her with his snout, "I will not ever forget about you." A promise that meant a lot, when he had so much time to build up the memories.

Klept gave a watery grin to her friend, looking around the courtyard. Smithy smiled at her from the stairs, and she realized she already had made a friend here. Maybe, one day, her friends would include Jane and _her_ Dragon.

She snorted. Maybe.

-----

They sat in the moonlight, Dragon stretched out on the still-warm stone, and Jane curled up beside him, leaning against his side.

"I am glad you stayed, Dragon," she said into the comfortable silence. She sat up straight, looking him in the eye with a serious expression. "And I am so sorry, about-"

"Forget it, Jane," Dragon said lazily. "Shortlives, pah. So emotional. I would lie, too, if I thought I was losing me."

"Right," Jane said, amused. "And a point for modesty, Greenlips."

"I would not have been able to go," Dragon insisted, serious for once. "This is my home, and you are my best friend. Plus we have the runes," he said before it got too emotional.

"What? But Torrid can read them all..." Jane said. Dragon had already told the girl about his conversations with the new dragon.

"All but one," Dragon replied. "_My_ rune, Jane. My name. We have to figure that one out, together."

Jane just grinned her agreement, leaning against his side. It was how it had been, and better. Dragon had found what he was looking for, and that made Jane happy. Even if she had to put up with a thief in the castle. Remembering a whispering thank you, and a hastily concealed tear, Jane somehow knew that it would not be that bad.

----------------------

A/N. This is the first story I had ever written and completed, but I definately was embarassed about leaving it up as it was so it has undergone a bit of an edit. Hopefully it has been ironed out a bit, although I haven't changed any of the plot or the characters. Please review if you have the time- I still love getting feedback. Thanks to Lightning Flash- I used your reviews to fix this up and I will always enjoy this fic because it was the starting point of our stalker friendship. XD

KrisEleven~


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